14 killed in a blast in Northwestern Pakistan

Islamabad, July 20: At least 14 people mostly security personnelwere killed in a powerful explosion in Pakistan's northwestern town ofKohat on Thursday night, reports said.

Pakistan's private Geo TV quoted Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao as saying that it could be a suicide attack.

He confirmed that 14 people were killed and another 15 wereinjured in the explosion which took place in an army training centremosque during "Isha" prayers.

This was the second major incident of violence in less than 12hours. In the latest series of terror attacks, at least 30 people werekilled and another 30 injured in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistanprovince on Thursday.

Several injured have been admitted to hospitals of Karachi in a critical condition, Pakistan's private Geo Tv reported.

According to reports a suicide bomber detonated the bomb when aconvoy of Chinese engineers was passing through the RCD Highway in Hubtown.

The vehicle carrying the Chinese however passed unscathed from theplace, while four police mobile vans accompanying the convoy werecaught in the blast.

After the blast the panic-stricken security guards of Chineseengineers and policemen opened indiscriminate firing, killing andwounding several nearby people. About 30 people including policemen andpassersby were killed in the blast, sources said.

The huge explosion also destroyed 15 vehicles and motorbikes anddamaged 25 nearby houses and shops. Thirty wounded people were admittedat Karachi's Civil Hospital while three others were brought to JinnahHospital. Four people wounded were taken to the Civil Hospital werethey died, hospital sources said.

More than 130 people including security officials have been killedin a series of suicide attacks and explosions in the NorthwesternFrontier Province (NWFP), tribal regions and Islamabad since the recentmilitary operation in Lal Masjid in the capital.

At least 17 paramilitary soliders and the same number of militantswere killed in fighting near Mir Ali town of the troubled NorthWaziristan region on Wednesday.

UNI